A towering presence at 1m95 and capable of scoring all types of goals, Scamacca is one of Europe’s top young strikers, having scored 16 Serie A goals last season and started twice for Italy in the UEFA Nations League in June.

West Ham fought off interest from a host of top clubs to complete a deal for the Rome-born player, who has been capped seven times and is considered his country’s current and future No 9.

Scamacca becomes the latest young, hungry and ambitious player to join David Moyes’ squad, who will again compete in four competitions this season, and is eager to take his game to a new level in the Claret and Blue of West Ham.

“I am really excited to join West Ham,” said the forward, who will wear the No7 shirt. “I’ve waited a long time for this moment – it’s been a dream to play in the Premier League. 

“I feel like West Ham is the perfect team for me. They showed they really wanted me and when I spoke to the manager there was an instant understanding. I can’t wait to play and show the supporters what I can do in the West Ham shirt – I hope we will love each other.”

Moyes expressed his happiness at adding further quality to a squad that has secured back-to-back top-seven Premier League finishes and reached the UEFA Europa League semi-finals last term.

“We’ve been looking to add more strength to our attacking options for a while, so we’re delighted to have got Gianluca in,” said the manager, who has also brought Morocco centre-back Nayef Aguerd, France goalkeeper Alphonse Areola and midfielder Flynn Downes to London Stadium so far this summer.

“He comes really well recommended – and we’re looking forward to working with him. He’s a young centre-forward with a really bright future ahead of him.”

Born in Rome

Born in Rome on New Year’s Day 1999, Scamacca was with the Academies of both Lazio and Roma as a boy before moving to Dutch club PSV Eindhoven at 16 in 2015.

After 18 months in the Netherlands, during which he played three times for Jong PSV in the Dutch second tier, the striker moved home to Italy with Sassuolo. He was still just 18 when he debuted in Serie A away at Napoli in October 2017.

Loan spells with Serie B sides Cremonese and Ascoli and Dutch top-flight club PEC Zwolle followed, before he netted his first Serie A goal while on loan at Genoa in November 2020, and in a local derby with Sampdoria to boot.

After finishing the 2020/21 campaign with 12 goals, including four in the Italian Cup, Scamacca returned to Sassuolo in style last season. 

Forging a potent partnership with fellow Italian Domenico Berardi for Alessio Dionisi’s free-scoring side, Scamacca scored a career-high 16 Serie A goals and became a regular in Roberto Mancini’s Italy squad.

After making his debut in a FIFA World Cup qualifying win over Lithuania in September 2021, the forward has earned six further caps, including a start in Italy’s Nations League tie with England at Molineux in June.

Everyone at West Ham United would like to welcome Gianluca to London Stadium and wish him well for his career in Claret and Blue.

Seven things you need to know about Gianluca Scamacca

1. He loves a goal in the Coppa Italia!

Gianluca Scamacca has finished as the leading scorer in the Coppa Italia on two separate occasions. In 2018/19, he scored four times for Ascoli to help the Serie B side reach the fourth round, scoring twice each in wins over Pro Vercelli and Trapani. He then scored four times as Genoa reached the round of 16 in 2020/21, netting two goals each in victories over Catanzaro and Sampdoria. In total, he has scored eight goals in just seven career appearances in the competition.

2. He's been capped regularly by Italy since the age of 15

Gianluca Scamacca has been capped an amazing 85 times by Italy at no fewer than eight different levels, from U15 up to senior, scoring 36 goals. The forward scored on his first-ever appearance for his country, netting twice in a 3-3 friendly draw with Belgium in February 2014 at U15 level.

3. He went Dutch early in his career

Gianluca Scamacca’s senior debut came not in his homeland of Italy but in the Netherlands, where he made his professional bow three weeks after his 17th birthday as a substitute for Jong PSV in a 2-1 Dutch second-tier win at VVV-Venlo in January 2016. He has now made 132 senior appearances for Jong PSV, Cremonese, PEC Zwolle, Ascoli, Genoa and Sassuolo, scoring 42 goals in total.

4. He's gone close to international glory

Gianluca Scamacca appeared on five occasions as Italy reached the semi-finals of the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2019, defeating Mexico, Ecuador, host nation Poland (pictured, above right) and Mali before losing to Ukraine in the last four. Earlier, he scored in the final as Italy were beaten 4-3 by Portugal in the UEFA European U19 Championship in Finland in 2019.

5. His idol is Zlatan Ibrahimović

Gianluca Scamacca’s football hero is Sweden striker Zlatan Ibrahimović. The pair have faced one another twice on the pitch, both in Serie A last season. Scamacca scored in a 3-1 win for his Sassuolo over Ibrahimović’s AC Milan at San Siro in November 2021, before the 40-year-old appeared off the substitutes’ bench in a 3-0 Milan win at the Mapei Stadium on the final day of the season in May.

6. He's Italy's current No9

Gianluca Scamacca made his senior debut for Italy as a substitute in a 5-0 FIFA World Cup qualifying win over Lithuania in Reggio Emilia in September 2021. He has since earned seven full caps, including an appearance in the 2022 Super Final between the reigning European and South American champions, which saw Italy defeated by Lionel Messi's Argentina (pictured, above) at Wembley in June.

7. He enjoyed a prolific 2020/21 season

Gianluca Scamacca plundered 16 goals for Sassuolo in Serie A last season, making him the second-highest scoring Italian behind Lazio’s Ciro Immobile. His partnership with fellow Italy international Domenico Berardi combined for 31 of Sassuolo’s 64 Serie A goals, making it the second most prolific in the division behind Inter’s Lautaro Martínez and Edin Džeko, who combined for 34.